South Star
by spiritjumper
Summary: Two months after the Pevancies' return to their world, Caspian finds himself the king of a nation where it never stops raining. Floods ruin the fields and threaten to overrun the land when a mysterious girl appears to answer Caspian's unspoken prayers and rescue Narnia from a malevolent power. R&R!
1. Darkness and Water

Chapter One

Darkness and Water

* * *

A thick shroud of fog and rain enveloped the land. Nothing, not one spec of dust on a mountain escaped the downpour. A thin vale of condensation clung to every natural thing. King Caspian watched from his window as the clouds swirled overhead.

"What are we going to do my Lord? The sun has not shown for two months."

Caspian took a moment to consider his response. "I know. It weighs on my mind as well," he turned to meet the powerful gaze of his adviser, a tall, brawny centaur named Shorn Uronia. He was the kind that made field mice scatter. Shorn looked upon his King with angst. "But what can we do?" beckoned Caspian. "Aslan has left and so have our kings and queens."

Shorn made no attempt to answer Caspian's question. "Word is starting to spread. We have never experienced such a tumultuous rain as this. The citizens' fears grow by the hour. A flood may be imminent," Shorn asserted. Even he, the King's closest adviser seemed on edge.

Water fell in streams from Caspian's window; the beginnings of erosion sullying its elegant craftsmanship. Clouds continually swayed in the witless wind. Caspian thought hard about their predicament.

The rain began the night Aslan and their kings and queens departed and it hadn't quit since. The downpour became especially treacherous as of late. It was quite impossible to discern with accuracy the position of the sun and moon under these conditions. Only the steady darkening of the sky signaled encroaching night.

An audible drip, drip, dripping began in the ceiling.

"I will rest on it," Caspian breathed an unsteady sigh and reexamined the condition of the crop-bearing fields.

"Yes, my Lord. I think we all may need some rest."

But he did not sleep. Caspian stayed awake long into the night. With no hope in sight, what could he do? Though he could not bring his heart to forsake this land and its people. Albeit a strange feeling, he adamantly held that something bigger was gathering just below the horizon. He believed in his heart that this terrible darkness would soon be brought to light.

"What is it that I am missing?" he finally asked as dawn began to break as dim, dreary morning revealed even worse weather than ever before. But uninhibited, Caspian watched the sky churn. From between a couple of swirling silver clouds, he saw a thin light shine upon the dark forest. "A sign perhaps?" He fought with guarded hope that this innocent light might finally answer his prayers.


	2. Eagle of Gold

Chapter Two

Eagle of Gold

* * *

"Lindsey Par, please report to the office… You're not in trouble this time," a voice announced from the loud speaker.

Lindsey let out a silent, anxious sigh. "What's wrong now? And why did they have to say _that_?" she thought, lobbing off the side of her desk lazily, she swung her books into her arms and carried them to the teacher's desk. "Do we have any homework?"

"No, just study for the test next week."

Lindsey could feel the eyes staring her down, giggling and whispering. She wasn't the most popular or the smartest, but she was quite clever and harbored a secret courage that could rival a king's. Though none, not even she knew of it. Yet.

The hallway was damp from hundreds returning out of the awkward, gross transition between late winter and early spring, flood season, fog and all. "Squeak, squawk, squeak, squawk," went her shoes as they pattered down the deserted hallway. The dry, soundless carpeting of the office was a welcome relief for the moment.

"Lindsey, your sister Katie broke her arm today during gym,"

Her hand rushed to her mouth and her eyes grew, shocked. "Oh my god, is she okay?"

"She's okay. But your Mom's coming to get you."

"So I'll be out for the day?"

"Yep."

Lindsey was upset for her sister, but as her sister, she knew what a tough little trooper she could be and so, wasn't worried very much at all.

When her mother came to pick her up, she was holding what looked to be an old book with an even older symbol crafted into the side. SYMBOL

Lindsey's mother took her home where she met with her younger sister and grandmother. Their father was, again, too busy to leave work. Five and a half year old Katie picked at her purple cast. Lindsey took a permanent marker from her bag and signed the cast in all caps, "LINDSEY," with hearts on either side and then kissed her sister's forehead before retiring to her room.

"Fridays are the best," thought Lindsey. Quietly in her bed, she listened to everything around her, Grandma and Katie talking, the soup cooking, and her mother opening the closet in the hallway. "Wait," thought Lindsey. "We don't have a closet in the hallway, do we?" Lindsey cracked open the door, being careful not to let it squeak. Next to the bathroom, a definitive line appeared in the wall. It was left open only a crack and so, she wasn't too sure if she should dare take chances with something her mother had kept hidden for so long. But if Lindsey was lucking, her mother might leave the door open behind her.

"Where is that key?" her mother growled from somewhere above her head.

"An attic?" Lindsey wondered. "I never knew…"

She let out a sigh of relief when her mother appeared and left downstairs. Lindsey waited until her mother was downstairs to leave her room. Sure enough, her mother hadn't locked the door. "Click" went the latch as she opened it a crack. The door was smaller than she imagined and she had to crouch about a foot down to get through. Lindsey ascended a flight of dusty wooden stairs until she reached a dark room. Lindsey grabbed her mouth, stifling a cough. The air in here was stone dry and infested with dust. A tiny hole in the roof let in just enough light to see. At the far end rested a trunk big enough to fit a body.

"Just one trunk?" she mumbled. The sound echoed back to her.

Lindsey crouched beside the weathered old chest and examined its rusty metal clasps. "One keyhole needs one key," she thought. Above the keyhole was the image of a proud eagle wrought in gold. Lindsey's eyes were drawn to it, mesmerized. She lifted her hand to place gentle fingers upon its smooth ridges. The feathers felt so soft and silky, they almost felt real. "Strange." The words caught in the air.

Reexamining the keyhole, Lindsey decided it was worth a shot to try picking the lock, so she grabbed the pin holding back her hair, twisted it and stuck the other end in the socket the way she'd learned to. She pushed the pin a ways in and twisted around and around, but not luck. She pushed it all the way in, as far as it would go, but still could not manage to find the back of the socket. Frustrated, she pushed up and down quickly until the pin snapped and she lost her grip. The thin of metal piece slipped down the keyhole and disappeared inside the trunk. Lindsey held back a curse and clenched her fist on the lid. She closed her eyes and took a moment to calm down and pulled her thoughts together.

But a sensation at her side jarred her. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a shard of golden metal with the face of a lion engraved at the top. "What? I didn't put that there, did I?" At first she wanted to laugh at the surprise, until she recognized her curiosity. If this key fit the golden eagle's trunk, would she be able to open it and see what treasure's lay inside? Would there be more gold, or jewels possibly? Beautiful jewels in all colors of the rainbow… or… maybe there were books? Lindsey loved to read. She really did. Everything from J.D. Salinger to Suzanne Collins; if there was a book was in her hands, she was free. She reached down and slid the shard as delicately as she could into the keyhole. It fit. She turned the lock. The gears inside twinged, tugged, and clicked. Slowly, she opened the trunk and revealed…

Nothing.


End file.
